Guard for safety razors



June 14, 1955 K. sEKo GUARD FOR SAFETY RAZORS ZSheets-Sheet med June 2, 1952 KAIGHI SEKO ATTORNEYS Juhe 14, 1955 K. SEKO IGUARD FOR SAFETY RAZORS v 2 Sheets-Sheet Filed June 2, .1962

KAICHI SEKO INVENTOR BY M ATTORNEYS fice Patented June 14, 1955 GUARD FOR SAFETY RAZORS Kaichi Seko, Seattle, Wasln, assiguor of one-fourth to Kamekiclii Shibaya'ma, Seattle, and one-fourth to Min Tsubota, Seattle, Wash.

Application June 2, 1952, Serial No. 291,270

3 Claims. (Cl. -49) This present invention relates to the general art of each other and at some point this elongated guard, thus formed, is secured either fixedly to the razor frame, or to such element which is in a fixed position with the razor blade when in use. The general appearance of the guard in its preferred form appears much like a slightly extended spiral spring so arranged along the cutting edge of the razor that the actual cutting edge meets the coils of the guard at the point of tangency between the plane of the blade and the circle of the wire turns.

Safety razors may be considered as a very highly developed field in which a wide variety of solutions have been provided. Various inventors and designers have approached the problem of making a safety razor in which there was a minimum likelihood of cutting the skin during the shaving operation. The various theories that have been employed have thus produced a wide variety of safety guards for use with safety razors. Safety razors have come into use for many purposes other than merely shaving the face. Women especially have found that safety razors are generally productive of a more satisfactory method of removing superfluous hair than i the old form of dipilatory which so often attacked the tender skin particularly of certain parts of the body. To meet this use, again a wide variety of designs have been provided to adapt the cutting blade to some particular portion of the body. These particular and intricate shapes have in turn called for a wide variety of guards, necessarily in view of the fact that in much of the body shaving, the persons shaving themselves are usually shaving at an unhandy angle, many times without visibility, or at best, visibility by means of a mirror. These various shapes have increased the difficulty of providing an allaround useful razor greatly, and many times entirely new and difierent production facilities must be provided to construct these special-purpose razors. My present form of guard has been found adaptable to all the various forms of special-purpose razors that have been observed either in use, on sale, or advertised for sale. It it therefore believed that my safety guard is a very substantial advancement in this present field.

Persons using the safety razor find that normally to produce a clean, close shave without going over the surface several times, it is necessary to have the blade raised appreciably above the surface of the guard supplied with the razor. This is very objectionable because it to a large degree negates the utility of the guard. This condition however generally is forced upon the user of the ordinary razor in that the guard is a comb-like memher usually fashioned from sheet metal, and the various teeth must have very appreciable width in contact with the skin; further if the blade is in close contact with the guard, areas of uncut hair will remain after the passage of the razor over the skin. A practical solution of this condition means that several passages of the razor must be made over approximately the same swath in order that the teeth of the guard may be displaced slightly and thus insure, after several passages, that all the hair has been shaved oif. Now it has been found that by increasing the number of teeth in the protective comb and by decreasing the width of the same, the surface hair left uncut will be reduced and it is carrying this principle to its ultimate that has produced this unusual result with my present guard. In my guard the maximum surface that cannot be reached by the cutting edge of the blade is only that small portion where the blade is tangent to the circle of the wire convolution or coil, and as the wire from which the coils are made can be of very small diameter, it can be stated that practically a single passage of the razor over the surface of the skin will, with rare exception, cut of the hair. This is due in part to the fact that the small diameter of the wire forms yieldable teeth which tend to part or shove to one side the hair that would normally be smoothed over by the teeth of a conventional razor guard.

Experience has proved sufiiciently, it is believed, that the average user of a safety razor does not adjust the cutting edge of his blade in tight engagement with the guard, and therefore slight irregularities in the skin are quite often merely shaved off and a very painful surface cut is produced which bleeds so copiously, even when the bleeding has been partly staunched, as with a caustic such as a styptic pencil, that a scar is provided which will endure for several days. This is a very objectionable fault of the conventional safety razor and is no doubt one of the contributing reasons for the popularity of the newer forms of electric shavers. With my present form of guard, despite the shape of blade employed with it, as long as the guard is made in conformity to the shape of the cutting edge, the extreme blade edge can be in absolute contact with the coils forming the guard, then by the expedient of having the guard made of fine wire, the adjacent coils can be placed so closely together that the skin cannot be puckered up to reach up to the cutting edge and it is substantially impossible to cut oneself, even though no regard is given to the direction in which the cutting edge is presented to the skin. This is believed to be again a very substantial step forward in construction of safety razors.

The principal object of my present invention is to provide a guard for safety razors which so fully engages the cutting edge of the razor blade that the skin cannot be distorted sufficiently to get into a cutting position with respect to the blade.

A further object of my invention is to provide a guard for safety razors formed of convolutions of small diameter wire.

A further object of my invention is to provide a guard for safety razors in which the extreme cutting edge of the blade is in engagement with, at the point of tangency, the curved wire coils forming the safety guard.

A further object is to provide a safety guard for bladed razors which can easily conform to the irregular shapes of razor blades employed for special shaving functions.

A further object of this invention is to provide a guard for safety razors so arranged that any reasonably desired degree of resiliency can be provided in the guard as distinct from the fixed blade or comb of the conventional safety razor.

Further objects, advantages and capabilities will be apparent from the description and disclosure in the draw 3 ings, or may be comprehended or are inherent in the device.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a perspective view of the head of a razor employing my guard with certain parts of the same broken away and shown in section to better illustrate the construction;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of a razor employing my special guard;

Figure 3 is a partial cross-sectional view through the head of the razor shown in Figure 2, taken along the line 3-3;

Figure 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the manner in which the razor blade is secured and how it engages the guard;

Figure 5 is a dashed line view, similar to Figure 4, in which the exact manner in which the blade is caused to contact the guard in the optimum arrangement is shown, the center line of the razor blade being shown as a conventional center line of heavier weight than the rest of the drawing;

Figure 6 illustrates a modified form of razor such as is used in shaving certain parts of the body;

Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 7-7 of Figure 6;

Figure 8 illustrates in top plan view a modified form of razor in which the blade is a circle and showing the manner in which my guard can be made to conform to this unusual shape; certain parts are broken away to illustrate the structure more fully;

Figure 9 is a fragmentary, cross-sectional view along the line 99 of Figure 8;

Figure 10 illustrates a further modified form of razor in which the blade and holder complete is bent along its longitudinal axis;

Figure 11 is a fragmentary view showing one manner in which my guide may be constructed.

Referring more particularly to the disclosure in the drawings, the numeral 12 designates the base plate of a conventional safety razor employing the flexible or waferlike double-edged razor blade. The razor blade itself is indicated by the reference character 14. The blade is held in position in the conventional razor by the pressure plate 16 which has a depending screw 17, normally engaging complementary threads in the razor handle 18, so that the pressure plate can be brought down on the razor blade .with the desired degree of tension. It is desired to point out at this time that throughout the drawings has been shown the more common type of razor. This however is merely for convenience in illustration and to reduce the description to a reasonable degree. It will be apparent it is believed that the form of guard shown in this application is applicable to any form of razor in which a sharpened blade is used as a cutting means. This may well be carried to the extreme of providing a guard of this order as an attachment for the conventional old fashioned straight razor. Secured to the opposite side margins of base plate 12 are guard members which guard members form the essence of this present invention. The essential characteristic of this guard is that it be made of convolutions of preferably resilient wire. The resiliency of the wire is desirable for reasons pointed out in the preamble of this specification. However, by sacrificing a degree of utility, fixed convolutions of stiff wire might be used. The most practical form of wire convolutions as at present advised appears to be that of winding wire about a mandrel to in effect produce a spiral arrangement such as is common with wound springs. This however is not an essential characteristic and Figure 11 has been provided to illustrate one other form. of providing the guard convolutions.

The really essential feature appears to be that the surface bearing upon the face or other portion of the body to be shaved shall be a plurality of curved wires disposed in closely spaced relationship.

Throughout the drawings, the wire convolutions have been shown, for the matter of drafting expediency and for the sake of clarity, more widely spaced and the wire of a heavier weight proportionately than is desired in use. The exact wire gauge will of necessity be determined by the size of the coils or by the unsupported length of the wire convolutions, considering the form of Figure 11 or some variant form of this construction. It is desirable that the various arcuate wire portions which come to rest upon the skin when the razor is in use should be close enough together so that pressure will not permit the skin to pucker up between the convolutions and thus be cut by the blade. A further consideration is that the wires be fine enough so that they themselves will not crush down hair so that it cannot be reached by the cutting blade. A further consideration is the fact that a degree of resiliency in the coils is often desirable, particularly in the shaving of coarse hair to the end that the coil or bearing portion of the same can be slightly displaced longitudinally of the guard, even a very small amount, so that the hair itself will not be flattened down but will be left outstanding from the skin and thus be cut by the razor blade.

Referring to Figures 4 and 5 of the drawings it is desired to point out that the conformation of the wire convolutions should be such that the beveled cutting edge of the razor blade, which of course is but a fraction of the thickness shown in the drawings, can lie against the wire to the end that the lower bevel of the cutting edge itself can be substantially tangent and directly in contact with the various spaced wire convolutions or coils. In this manner the coils 20 take the force of pressure no matter how hard one may press the razor to the skin. Referring to Figure 5, the flexible blade may be clamped against the guard with sufficient pressure so that the sharpened edge is deflected slightly upwards from the normal transverse curvature of the blade between the plates, as shown by the break in the centerline in Figure 5. By having substantially a zero spacing between the guard and the extreme cutting edge of the blade the slightly circular movement of the cutting blade which is used by professional barbers normally, in shaving their customers, can be employed with the safety razor without fear of cutting the skin, due to the successive protective coils or convolutions of the wires forming the guard. This is a very important feature of this present razor as it distinguishes it from the normal safety razor as at present available. This complete assurance of safety for the users permits them to use the razor in a manner that is more convenient to them. This is particularly of moment when shaving portions of the body that cannot be readily observed.

Referring to Figures 6 and 7, it is to be noted that the razor is substantially in conformity with standard practice excepting that instead of the cutting edges being straight they are actually arcuate with regard to the plane of the razor blade. My present guard can easily be made to conform fully with this desirable but unusual razor blade shape.

Figures 8 and 9 illustrate a form of razor desired by some people for some concave portions of the body.

The same components are used in the illustrated form of this razor, namely, the base plate 22, the blade 24, and the pressure plate 26, the usual form of screw tightening arrangement consisting of screw 27 and the conventional handle 18, complete the razor. In this form, a modified form of guard 30 is employed in that it entirely encircles the plate 22 It may be formed of a plurality of spaced coils or any form of convolutions after the suggestion of Figure 11 may be employed.

Figure 10 illustrates a form of razor in which the blade is bent so that its longitudinal axis and cutting edges are curved. Normally in this form the blade itself is a conventional blade having straight parallel cutting edges. However it could be formed employing the blade as in Figure 6. This type of blade illustrates further, however, the adaptability of my present guard to unusual forms of razors which are created for specific and special purposes.

Figure 11 is designed to illustrate one mode in which a guard may be formed under the teachings of this invention without actually winding the wire into spiral or spring form. The convolutions shown in Figure 11 or modifications of the same can easily be made by wire-forming fingers and pressure bars and could be attached directly to the razor or possibly, as a means of improving manufacturing facilities, the spaced convolutions 32 could be secured to a mounting bar as 34 and this bar in turn be employed to position the same when mounted on a razor. Persons experienced in wire forming might have various ways of making the wire convolutions and any of these will be suitable for this present purpose providing they produce closely spaced curved wire portions which will in turn provide the bearing surface against the skin to be shaved.

It is believed that it will be clearly apparent from the above description and the disclosure in the drawings that the invention comprehends a novel construction of a guard for safety razors.

Having thus disclosed the invention, I claim:

1. A safety razor, comprising: an elongated base plate which has a transversely, convexly curved top surface; a pressure plate which has a transversely, concavely curved bottom surface; a thin, flexible razor blade having a sharpened side edge; said razor blade being positioned between said base plate and said pressure plate and clamp ing means securing said pressure plate to said base plate whereby said razor blade is curved transversely; a guard positioned at the side of said base plate below said sharpened side edge of said razor blade, said guard being formed of a fine, resilient wire shaped with a series of convolutions with adjacent wires closely spaced, the tip of said sharpened edge of said blade resting directly on the upper portion of said guard and said clamping means pressing said tip of said sharpened edge against said upper portion of said guard to the point that said sharpened edge is deflected slightly upwards from the normal transverse curvature of said blade between said plates.

2. A safety razor, comprising: an elongated base plate having a top surface which is transversely convexly curved and one side edge being concavely curved in the plane of said base plate and the other side edge being convexly curved in the plane of said base plate; a pressure plate which has its side edges formed similarly to said base plate and which is transversely curved forming a bottom surface which is concave transversely; a thin, flexible razor blade having its side edges formed similarly to said base plate, said side edges of said blade being sharpened, said blade being positioned between said base plate and said pressure plate and means clamping said pressure plate to said bottom plate whereby said razor blade is curved transversely; a guard secured to each side of said base plate below the sharpened side edges of said razor blade, said guard each being formed of a fine, resilient Wire wound in the form of a helix with adjacent wires closely spaced, the tips of said sharpened edges of said blade resting directly on the upper portion of the associated guards and said clamping means pressing said tips of said sharpened edges against said upper portion of the associated guards to the point that said sharpened edges are deflected slightly upwards from the normal transverse curvature of said blade between said plates.

3. The subject matter of claim 1 in which said convolutions includue a multiplicity of juxtaposed, aligned, similar portions lying in upright planes each forming slightly over half a circle and adjacent portions being joined by alternate reverse bends, the lower portion of the guard being secured to an elongated mounting bar which is secured to the razor.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 344,114 Kampfe et al. June 22, 1886 1,701,036 Greene Feb. 5, 1929 1,712,086 Little May 7, 1929 1,812,422 Wiese June 30, 1931 1,958,718 Scherrnack May 15, 1934 1,961,132 Behrman June 5, 1934 1,974,182 Groh Sept. 18, 1934 2,008,589 Ohmer July 16, 1935 FOREIGN PATENTS 29,588 France May 12, 1925 

